"You don't have to play" – Jannik Sinner subtly disagrees with Carlos Alcaraz as Spaniard complains about exhausting ATP Tour schedule 'killing' him
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner subtly disagreed with Carlos Alcaraz's complaints about the demanding ATP tour schedule. The Italian emphasized that players can choose which tournaments to enter, noting that skipping events for practice could be an option.
Alcaraz has played 50 matches this season and recently contributed to Team Europe’s victory at the Laver Cup.
After defeating Ben Shelton in the event, the Spaniard expressed concerns about the intense schedule, saying it could even "kill" the players.
"A lot of players feel like, okay, it is a good calendar. And a lot of players says that it’s really tight and a lot of tournaments during the whole year," he said.
"I’m the kind of player who think there is a lot of tournaments during the year, mandatory tournaments, and probably during the next few years gonna be even more tournaments, more mandatory tournaments. So, I mean, probably they are going to kill us in some way," he added, smiling.
Jannik Sinner was asked to comment on Carlos Alcaraz's remarks during his pre-event press conference at the China Open. While the Italian acknowledged the lengthy schedule, he emphasized that players can still manage their participation, aside from mandatory events.
"Yeah, the schedule is quite long obviously these years. But we players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play. Obviously we have some mandatory events, yes. As a player, you can still choose. I think of that," Sinner said.
The World No. 1 further gave an example to back his claims. He added:
"It is a very busy schedule this year; there are a lot of tournaments. You don't have to play a tournament. If you want, you can play. If not, you don't play. For example last year and also this year, I didn't play some tournaments because I wanted to practice. There are some choices behind this."
"In general, yeah, the season is quite long, so sometimes it's not easy," he added.
Sinner has enjoyed an outstanding season, capturing both hard-court Slams the Australian Open and the US Open. Similarly, Alcaraz has also excelled, claiming two Majors, the 2024 French Open and Wimbledon.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will next compete at the China Open
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will next compete at the ATP 500 event in Beijing. The Italian will begin his campaign against Nicolas Jarry, who holds a 1-0 head-to-head lead over him.
Sinner will aim to level his head-to-head record against Jarry and build on his impressive 55-5 season record. The 23-year-old, also the defending champion, will target his season's seventh title in the Chinese capital.
Meanwhile Alcaraz in the bottom half of the draw will begin his campaign against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, marking their first encounter on tour. The Spaniard will look to win his fourth title of the season.
The China Open event in Beijing starts on Thursday, with the final on October 2.